Sallina Jeffrey

Sallina, an AIB MBA Graduate and the CEO and founder of The Mentoring Movement PTY LTD (TMM) began her MBA as a means to elevate the success of her startup. Graduating in 2022, Sallina has been an active member of the AIB community from mentoring and presenting at recent networking event in Sydney sharing her insights from her final project on employee management and retaining top talent.

In this interview, we explored Sallina’s motivations to study an MBA and how the experience has added value to her career.

What made you decide to study an MBA? 

When you have a startup, 1% succeed, 99% fail. And I thought for me to be able to make sure that I gave my company the best possible chance of thriving was to be able to make sure that I could actually sit with my clients and really be able to understand their business across all the key pillars of an organisation. And I realise that an MBA allowed me to do that. 

What did you get out of the MBA? 

Studying for an MBA has really changed the way that I look at the world. I look at things a lot more critically, a lot more broadly. And I think it also provides you with a bit more of a feeling of not only confidence but also a level of calmness. Because you’re more knowledgeable and you are a more educated human and you’re able to really provide that advice and guidance with the backing of an MBA.  

Making the decision to start an MBA was the best thing I could possibly do for myself. I think that we owe it to ourselves to be able to have the best education that we possibly could be to be better humans in the world. 

As an active member in the AIB community, have you been involved in any activities post completing your MBA? 

When I completed my MBA, I was honoured to be invited as the keynote speaker at the Sydney Networking event. This opportunity excited me because it allowed me to continue the conversation about workplace disengagement and explore how we, as leaders, can improve the daily lives of our most significant asset—our people. 

What was your keynote speech at the Sydney Networking event about? 

What I presented at the AIB networking event centred on the framework of my final project, which aligns closely with my organisation’s goals and my life’s purpose: to improve the daily lives of individuals in the workplace. It offered me a significant opportunity to delve deeper into the data, and what I discovered was that trust is a critical indicator of whether an organisation experiences engagement or disengagement. Building trust with your people allows them to feel safe and psychologically secure, enabling them to show up in their workplace and be their authentic selves. This is where innovation thrives in organisations. 

Explore more AIB student stories.